Manchester United 5-1 Midtjylland : Five Talking Points

A brace from teenager Marcus Rashford on his professional debut, a goal from the excellent Memphis Depay and Ander Herrera and an own goal helped Manchester United comeback from 1-0 down to beat Midtjylland 5-1 and clinch a comprehensive 6-3 victory in the second leg of their Round of 32 Europa League clash at Old Trafford.Leading 2-1 from the first leg, it was the visitors who took the lead in the first half thanks to Pione Sisto well-taken finish. After that, an own goal from Nikolay Bodurov brought it back to 1-1 before Juan Mata missed a penalty after Herrera was brought end as both teams went into half-time at 1-1.In the second half, four goals by the hosts, including two in the final 5 minutes all but sealed their progression into the Europa League Round of 16.Here are the major talking points from the game.

#1 Depay turns on the style

When Memphis Depay has a game like he did against Midtjylland, it makes you tear your hair out and wonder why doesn't do something like this more often. Maybe it is down to confidence and trusting his own abilities, or it is down to the fact that he doesn't have the complete trust of his manager.

Whatever the case, the way in which he has continued to light up the scene in European matches this season has been a welcome change from his usual performances in the Premier League. Against Midtjylland, he was in one of those moods where almost everything he touched turned to gold. He was the one providing the Midas touch and it was through him that most of United's attacks flowed through.

He pulled out all the party tricks, turned the defender inside and out and eventually even got the right back defending him sent off, as he simply couldn't live with all of the tricks. His goal late in the game was perhaps the universe rewarding him for not just the insane number of shots that he took during the game but also his overall performance.

United fans will be hoping that he can bottle this up and do the same at the weekend, when they face a tough visit from Arsenal in the Premier League.

#2 Murphy\'s Law strikes for Midtjylland

Nikolay Bodurov — Bodurov scored the own goal that brought United back level

Just by qualifying for the group stages of the Europa League, Midtjylland had already done way more than they have ever done in Europe. By qualifying out of the group, they went one step further. And when they beat Manchester United, a European powerhouse, albeit one that is on the way down, their fans must have been in seventh heaven.

Unfortunately for them, it was at Old Trafford, the place called the Theatre of Dreams, that theirs came crashing down. It was a night when almost everything that could have gone wrong for them, did. Despite scoring the opening goal, they were on the backfoot right from the start as a young United side seemed intent on taking the attack to the opposition.

Although their goalkeeper saved a penalty from Juan Mata in the first half, they conceded another in the second half, with Ander Herrera making no mistake this time. They scored an own goal to get United back into the game and even got a man sent off before full-time and finished with 10 men. Despite a valiant effort, they return to Denmark on the wrong end of a hammering in Europe.

#3 Rashford provides the rush of adrenaline

Up until a few minutes before kick-off, Marcus Rashford did not know he was going to make his professional debut for Manchester United. And had Anthony Martial not injured himself in the warm-up, he probably wouldn't have done. Although he was scoring goals for fun coming through the ranks at United, if it wasn't for the injury crisis that the team are going through, he is unlikely to have been on the fringes of the first team this season.

Yet, by the time the full-time whistle blew at Old Trafford, the 18-year-old striker had not only become the youngest player to score a goal in a European competition for Manchester United, but also scored a brace to seal United's passage into the next round of the Europa League.

It has been a spectacular year and a half for Rashford, since he was signed by United in 2014. While his pace, athleticism and eye for goal has impressed one and all few would have expected him to be a first-team hero so soon, especially considering he was on the bench in an U18 game at the start of last season.

United fans will be hoping that he isn't another flash in the pan like Federico Macheda and that he can mount a sustained challenge for a first-team spot in the years to come.

#4 United\'s future looks bright

Louis van Gaal — For all his flaws, LVG has given youth plenty of chance

Every time someone finds a flaw in a team, the immediate response is to suggest that they need to go out and buy a player to strengthen that particular position. Perhaps it is because of the huge amounts of money in the modern game, but nobody seems to want to invest in young players and help them develop. Instead, everyone wants the finished article straight away.

Whether it is by design or default, Manchester United have been one of the few clubs who have given youth a chance in the last year and a bit, especially under Louis van Gaal. While the transfer dealings at the club haven't always been amazing, Every time one of the youngsters step into the first-team, they seem to have the capability to do well.

Against Midtjylland, it was the turn of Marcus Rashford and Joe Riley. The 18-year-old Mancunian who played up front might grab all the headlines for his brace that helped his side go through to the Round of 16, it was another youngster, who was arguably even more impressive.

19-year-old Riley, who started at left back, but is a utility player, who also plays in midfield was impressive both with the ball at his feet and also with his defensive awareness and ability to get himself out of a tight spot. While he might be far down the pecking order if everyone is fit, his performance showed that, despite being his full Manchester United debut, he has what it takes to do well at the highest level.

#5 United\'s penalty troubles

Juan Mata's penalty miss might not have mattered at the end of the day but it continued a worrying trend of United players missing penalties. In fact, until Ander Herrera scored with a few minutes to go, United had missed both their penalties in European competitions this season.

There have been plenty of different penalty takers for United over the past year and a bit but they haven't managed to find a single consistent spot kick specialist. While some players they have tried have simply been unlucky, others just don't have a good enough record and shouldn't have been given the responsibility in the first place.

Whatever the reason is, they simply cannot afford to continue to miss penalties, like they did in the first half. While it did not cost them in this game, who is to say that against a better side in the next round it won't. So United need to work fast and hard to figure out a way to sort out their spot-kick troubles.

Edited by Staff Editor